Means for electrically heating water-cooled combustion-engines.



' A. A. LOW & A. WASSMANN. MEANS FOR ELEGTEIGALLY HEATING WATER GOOLEDCOMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1907.

968,780. Patented Aug. 30,-1910.

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968,780, Patented Au 30,1910.

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- ATTOHNE rs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABBOT AUGUSTUS LOW, OF HORSESHOE, AND AUGUST WASSMA NN, OF ASTORIA. NEW

YORK; SAID WASSIVIAJNN ASSIGNOR TO SAID LOW.

MEANS FOR ELECTRICALLY HEATING WATER-COOLED COMBUSTION-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pat nted Aug. 30, 1910.

Application filed March 6, 1907. Serial No. 360,977.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, 'ABBoT AUGUSTUS Low and AUGUST WAssMANN, citizensof the United States, residing at Horseshoe and Astoria, Long Island,respectively, State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulMeans for Electrically Heating \Vater Cooled Combustion Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention appertains to an internal eombustion engine of that typewherein the cylinder is cooled by the circulation of a fluid, usuallywater, around the cylinder and through the head thereof.

More particularly, the type of engine to which the invention relates isoperated by the combustion of kerosene which is first mixed with air toproduce an explosive vapor, the resulting gaseous mixture being drawninto the cyhnderby the suction of the piston. In starting an engine ofthis class, the oil contained in the explosive mixture, when admitted tothe cylinder, has a tendency to condense or liquefy owing to its contactwith the cold surface of the cylinder and its head, and therebyinterfere with the rapid starting of the engine as well as to result ina loss of fuel, and produce disagreeable odors. Various expedients havebeen resorted to for overcoming such objections, among which are theheating of the cylinder by the flame from a torch, or by the directburning of a quantity of free 011, or by introducing into the cylinder,as the initial or starting charge, a mixture containing a highlyinflammable and volatile fluid, such as naphtha, difierin-g from theheavier oil (kerosene) normally used to furnish the motive power for theengine. Our invention overcomes the said ojections, and others, in asimple,eiiicient,expeditious and economical manner, and consists incombining with the engine, particularly with the cylinder thereof, meansfor electrically heating said cylinder, or itshead, or both, by raisingthe temperature of the medium employed during the normal operation ofthe engine for cooling the same. The cylinder and its head are thussufficiently heated to overcome condensation of the fuel in starting theengine, and to permit the engine to be started and operated withoutnecessitating the employment of any combustible except kerosene.

In the accompanying drawings, we have illustrated one embodiment of theinvention,

but the constructionshown therein is to be understood as illustrativeonly, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a portion of an internalcombustion engine equipped with our means for electrically heating thesame. sectional views on the lines 2-2 and 33, respectively. of Fig. 1.

A, designates a portion of a c linder forming a part of an" internal comustion engine, and B is a jacket which incases a part of said cylinderand forms therewith a space or chamber, C, in which is adapted tocirculate acooling medium, such as water. In the cylinder, A, operates apiston,D,having a piston rod, at. These parts are of the usual, orpreferred, construction.

At its upper end the cylinder, A, is provided with a head, E, whlch maybe secured in position on the cylinder by suitable means, as forexample, by providing the cylinder and the head with matching lugsadapted to receive suitable bolts, but in the drawings we have shown thehead, E, as being secured detachably to said cylinder by bolts, F, thelower ends of whichare screwed into lugs, f, which are provided in theupper part of the cylinder, preferably in the cooling chamber, C,thereof. The cylinder head, E, is provided with a chamber, E, for thecirculation of a cooling medium, the said chamber, E, of the headbeingindependent of the chamber, C, of the cylinder. It is preferred toconstruct the cylinder head, E, in sections, indicated at e, e, themeeting faces of said sections being recessed to produce the circulatingchamber, E, see Fig. 1. The

two members or sections of the cylinder head are clamped or securedtogether by the same Figs. 2 and 3 are cross bolts, F,'which fasten thehead to the cylinder, but this detail of construction may be modified orvaried as desired. As shown, the cylinder head is provided with acentral tube, g,-which forms an inletpassage, g, from a mixing chamber,Ur, to the piston chamber, a, of the cylinder A. Said inletpassage isclosed normally by a valve. ll, herein shown as having a stem, h, onwhich acts a spring, IL, for the purpose of keeping the valve, H, seatedagainst the cylinder head.

Any suitable means may be employed for supplying a combustible'mixtureor vapor to the engine cylinder. In Fig. 1 we have cooling medium may Ichamber, E, of the cylinder with an air inlet, 2', across which operatesa regulating valve, 1, and between the inlet,

'2, and the chamber, G, is a diaphragm, l", composed of any suitableforaminous material, such as metallic gauze. The feed pipe, J forsupplying a combustible liquid, such as kerosene, is coupled to thecasing, G, said pipe being in communication with a jet nozzle, j,adapted to inject the stream of combustible liquid across the chamber,G, and against the diaphragm, 1, whereby the jet of liquid is broken upby the diaphragm and is mixed or combined mechanically with air enteringthe opening, In the operation of the engine, the cylinder, its head andthe casing, G, are heated by the explosion of the combustible vapor, butwhen the engine is started, any suitable means may be employed forconverting the mixture of air and liquid into the combustible vaporprior to the admission of such vapor into the engine cylinder.

A cooling medium (water) is supplied to the circulating chamber, C, ofthe cylinder by a feed pipe, K, and the water is conducted through'saidchamber by an outlet pipe, K,whereby the water is caused to circulatearound and in contact with the walls of the cylinder for the purpose ofkeeping the same at the required temperature. The be supplied to thehead independently of the source of supply to the jacketed cylinder, A,but under ordinary conditions we prefer to conduct the cooling mediumfrom the cylinder to the chamber of the head by a by-pass, L. Theby-pass 1s shown in Fig. 1 as a substantially U-shaped pipe having oneleg connected to the jacket, B, and the other to a member of the head,E, and for the purpose of controlling the supply of water to thechambered cylinder head, said by-pass, L, is provided with a suitablecook 01 valve, opened and closed at will. The water is conducted fromthe chamber of the cylinder head by a pipe, L, and the eduction pipes,K, L, are, or may be, provided with suitable controlling valves.

We prefer to employ electric heating devices, M, N, in the chambers, C,E, respectively, of the cylinder and the head. The heater, M, for thejacketed cylinder is located at any suitable point in the chamber, C,preferably at the lower part thereof, although the particular locationis immaterial. Said heater isof annular shape, in order-that it may fitaround the cylinder, A, and take up a very small space in the chamber,C, and this heater is adapted to be suppietl with an electrical currentfrom any suita )le source of supply by means of the Z, the latter beingconductors, m, insulating and Water tight bushing, m, attached to thejacket, B. The other heater, N, is, also, of annular form in order thatit may be placed within the chamber, E, of the cylinder head, aroundthetube, g, forming the inlet for the combustible vapor. Said heater, N, isarranged compactly within the chambered head, E, and it is supplied withan electrical current by the conductors, n, which extend through a watertight and insulating bushing, 71., the latter being fastened to onesection, 6, of said cylinder head. If desired the electrical. currentmay be supplied to the heaters, M, N, by conductors forming independentelectric circuits, or the two heaters may be supplied with current by acommon circuit from any suitable source. Each electric heater may beconstructed in any preferred way known to those skilled in the art, butwe prefer to employ an electric heater of the type disclosed in anapplication filed by Harry Hertzberg and A. A. Low, Serial No. 356,792,Feb. 11, 1907, wherein there is disclosed an electrical resistance,preferably a metallic coil, which is wrapped on a core of insulatingmaterial, said core being inclosed between thin layers of insulatingmaterial which are in direct contact wit-h a mass or masses of metal,the latter being adapted to absorb the heat developed by said resistanceor coil practically as fast as the heat is generated. Said resistanceand its insulations are inclosed or contained within a water tightmetallic casing, O, the latter constituting the metallic mass which isadapted to be heated by the current supplied to the electricalresistance. The casing of the electric heater is situated Within thecirculating chamber so as to be immersed in the fluid circulatingtherein, said fluid having direct contact with the aforesaid casing, O,of said heaters.

It is preferred to employ the heaters, M, N, independently, and tomanipulate the englue in a way for the heater, N, to heat up thecylinder head, E. By closing the cocks in. the pipes, K, L, and openingthe cock in the by-pass, L, water is supplied to the chambers, C, E. theheater, N, and the water in the head, E, is heated by the action of saidheater, whereby the temperature of the head itself is raised to thedesired point. Should it be found necessary to heat the cylinder, A, thecurrent is admitted to the heater, M, and thus the water contained inthe chambers, O, E, is heated for the purpose of heating the cylinderand its head. Should it be found desirable the heater, M, may be used tothe exclusion of the heater, N, thus making provision for heating thecylinder indepcndently of the head thereof.

As is usual in engines of this class the which are carried through an-The current is admitted to from the chamber of the cylinder, A, isprovided with an igniter or spark plug, P, the latter being of anysuit-- coming any tendency of .the combustible vapor to condense bycontact with the cold walls of the engine cylinder or the head. 'hen theengine is in operation, the cylinder and the head are heated by thecombustion of the explosive vapor, and it is not necessary. therefore,to employ the electric heaters. Under these conditions the current iscut off t'rom both heaters, and the proper cocks in the circulatingpipes are opened for the purpose of permitting the cooling medium tocirculate around the cylinder and through the head thereof.

Having thus fully described the invention, what we claim as. new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

I. In an internal combustion engine, a jacketed cylinder, and an annularelectrically operated heater located in the jacket of said cylinder forheating a fluid therein, said annular heater partially inclosing saidcylinder.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a chambered cylinder head adaptedto contain ,a fluid.

nular electrically operated heater in the chamber of said head forheatinga fluid therein, said annular heater partially inclosing saidvalve box. I

it. In an internal combustion engine, a jacketed piston cylinder, achambered cylinder head, means \vl'iereby liquid may flow cylinder headto a chamber of said jacketed cylinder, and vice versa, and electricallyoperated heaters positioned within said chamber, of the cylinder headand the chamber of the jacketed cylinder, respectively.

inder,

a valve box extending through the' chamber of said cylinder head, and anan-.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having a circulatingchamber, a head provided with a circulating chan'iber, means forshutting oft the circulation of a fluid through said chambers, andelectrically-operated heaters in the respective chambers of the cylinderand the head.

5'. In an internal combustion engine, a water-containing chamber for acylinder or the head thereof, and an annular watertightelectri(tally-operated heater in said chamber, said heater surroundingthe cylin der of said engine.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a

chambered cylinder-head having a'passage.

for the inlet of an explosive vapor to a cylmeans for admitting a lluidto the chamber of said head, and an annular water-tightelectrically-operatedv heater in the chamber of said head.

7. In an internal combustion engine, a

cylinder having a fluid-chamber, a head also provided with afluid-chamber, means connecting said chambers for fluid to pass from oneto the other, and a water-tight electrically-operated heater in eachchamber.

8. In an internal combustion engine, a jacketed cylinder, a chamberedhead, means for supplying a liquid to cylinder and the chamber of thehead, a

I valved by-pass connecting the chambers of and electrically-.

said cylinder and said head, operated heaters in the respective chambersfor heating the liquid therein.

9. In an internal combustion engine, a jacketed cylinder, a chan'iberedhead, a valved by-pass connecting the chambers of said cylinder and saidhead, and annular water tight heaters within said chambers.

10. In an internal combustion engine, a fluid chamber in a cylinder andthe head thereof, and an annular watertight heater in said chamber, saidheater surrounding said cylinder.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AliliO'l AUGILTUS LOW. AUGUST WAHSMANN. Witnesses:

M. A. lVAnnnN, Geo. WnLmNc Gmnmcs.

said jacket of the

